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    'Indestructible' Botnet Claims Are Exagerrated

    By Sara Yin - PC Magazine | PC Magazine – Fri, Jul 1, 2011
    Kaspersky Lab's report of an "indestructible" botnet that uses fake antivirus protection to overtake other botnets, are exaggerated, says another security researcher, Sophos.

    In a Naked Security blog post, researcher Paul Ducklin said that while no malware is "indestructible," the current strain of TDSS malware is unlikely to affect computer users who patch regularly and use a "decent and up-to-date" anti-virus.

    "Sensible security precautions can stop you getting infected in the first place," he wrote.

    Furthermore, cleaning it out isn't too difficult with top anti-virus software. You don't event have to wipe your hard drive or re-install Windows.

    On Thursday, Kaspersky Labs reported a new strain of the TDSS malware, dubbed TDL-4, that was described as "the most sophisticated threat" to computer security in the world today by a Kaspersky Labs researcher. Initial reports said it enslaved more than 4.5 million PCs in a massive botnet, with most infections occuring in the United States.

    Although Ducklin acknowledges that TDL malware is indestructible, he says the way the virus works inherently may not be sustainable because of anti-virus protection, even fake ones, need to be updated constantly:

    "There's a fascinating part of the theory of computation known as the Halting Problem. Greatly oversimplified, it says that no computer program can guarantee, in finite time, to predict the behaviour of all other programs," he writes. "Cast into other clothes, the Halting Problem can be used to show that you can't write an anti-virus that will detect all possible viruses. You'll always need updates.

    But there's a neat corollary. You can never write a virus which will evade all possible anti-virus programs, either."

     

    6 comments

    • John
      John  •  10 mths ago
      The spelling in this article's title is "exaggerated."
      • Mandy
        Mandy 10 mths ago
        Isnt that pathetic?
    • AN AMERICIAN
      AN AMERICIAN  •  10 mths ago
      I tip my hat to every one who is protecting us behind the scenes!! THANK YOU!!
      • Aaron
        Aaron 10 mths ago
        you sound ignorant.
      • Louie
        Louie 10 mths ago
        Please.. wake up.
      • jeffp
        jeffp 10 mths ago
        urna dumbfick as s kjucnher likcenstein butt sisserster oh yess for real dude
    • Famous Author
      Famous Author  •  10 mths ago
      Can we insert curling irons in the rectums of virus designers, tie the tykes down and plug the irons in? Would that be the best "anti-virus" software ever???
    • Phillip K
      Phillip K  •  10 mths ago
      English has so many ridiculous nuances it could only have come from England.
      I am thankful I am NOT one of them people who apparently are unable to read anything without spotting every single mistake. That would drive me krazy.
    • NobodyA
      NobodyA  •  10 mths ago
      "Paul Ducklin said that while no malware is "indestructible,..." "Ducklin acknowledges that TDL malware is indestructible,..." Uh, %$##
    • Seth
      Seth  •  10 mths ago
      Maybe the computer experts at PC Magazine need to learn to use a little something called Spell Check.
     Post a comment
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